At the root of violence, there is mimetic desire: this revealing theory about human evil was developed by René Girard. In this fascinating portrait, we explore the human laws of mimetic desire, and why they can lead to violence. A film that resonates all the more strongly today, in a society severely tested by a global pandemic and the widespread fear of general collapse.

Man has desires because he lives in society, and it is by imitating the other that he will satisfy this desire. This mechanism has always fuelled human behaviour, and René Girard was one of the great thinkers of the second half of the 20th century to have deciphered its ins and outs, such as rivalry and mimetic violence. Mimetic desire is the source of the conflict that leads to the appointment of a scapegoat. By traveling to the heart of René Girard's work, his thinking and his life, this documentary sheds a unique light on the multiple aspects of his fascinating "mimetic theory”, through myths, religions and literature, from archaic societies right up to the present day. Who will cast the first stone?